U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) seemed to warn America yesterday that we may be surprised and disappointed by the government that results from this Sunday's election in Iraq. The national assembly that will be elected this weekend is tasked with drafting a constitution for the new Iraqi state.

Lugar, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, asked that we steel ourselves for the result. "Now, from our standpoint, the United States' standpoint, we may or may not be pleased with the final results of the constitution," he said.

Having spent last year diligently supporting George W. Bush's reelection campaign, the Religious Right's political brigades expected that the president would remember them when shaping his second-term agenda.

As 2005 began, President Bush traveled across the country campaigning hard for his policy priorities. But as right-wing activists listened to his statements, they didn't hear what they had hoped for: somehow Social Security privatization had replaced a ban on gay marriage and abortion curbs as a top-tier agenda item.

James Dobson recently announced his discovery that another insidious homosexual media take-over is in the offing. Since Jerry Falwell famously outed Tinky Winky, the purple Teletubby, the trail had grown cold. Speaking at a black-tie dinner for members of Congress and political allies, Dobson revealed his epiphany with a simple question: "Does anyone here know SpongeBob?"

Two of the nation's leading newspapers, The New York Times and The Washington Post, have published strong editorials opposing the introduction of "intelligent design" creationism into public school science classes. The editorials focus, in part, on the lawsuit - brought by Americans United and the ACLU - challenging promotion of the religiously grounded concept in the Dover, Pa., schools.

'Tis the season for prospective candidates to start putting feelers out for elections to be held this year, next year or even for presidential races in the distant future. It is in this spirit that Ralph Reed is said to be seeking the job of Georgia lieutenant governor.

According to the Washington Times, "Associates say Mr. Reed, 43, whose picture first appeared on the cover of Time magazine nearly 10 years ago, hopes to use the lieutenant governor's job to position himself to run for Georgia governor."

It looks like First Lady Laura Bush won't be sitting down to tea with former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore any time soon.

The first lady had been invited to a "First Ladies Inaugural Tea Honoring First Lady Laura Bush" that takes places Saturday, Jan. 22 at the Mayflower Renaissance Hotel in Washington, D.C. The event, hosted by a group calling itself "the First Ladies' Tea Committee," features Moore as special guest speaker.

Fueled by shoddy reporting and right-wing bombast, the myth that Christmas is being banned spread across America in December.

As noted by Media Matters for America, newspaper columnists, right-wing shouting heads and TV preachers spent much of the month fulminating about supposed attempts by groups, such as Americans United and the ACLU, to kick God out of the public square or to "take Christ out of Christmas."